


Thy Kingdom Come

by SpiritSoul



Category: Ghost (Swedish Band), Priest (Swedish Band)
Genre: Blood Drinking, Bondage, Castles, F/M, Family Drama, Horror (somewhat), Magic, Manipulation, Plot, Poisoning, Prison, Rituals, Satanism, Secret Relationship, Secrets, War, sorcery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2019-04-17 14:06:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14190639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpiritSoul/pseuds/SpiritSoul
Summary: Some things are better left undiscovered.If you had been given immense power, no doubt you would use it to get back at your enemies, right? But would you go against your family as well?





	1. New Blood

The dimly lit hallway was completely silent, save for the sounds of three pairs of footsteps and the irritating squeaking of the miniature wheels on Papa Nil’s oxygen tank. The noises echoed off the walls and died off quickly in the small corridor. The old, skeletal pope was currently being led by two small children, a boy and a girl, whos faces were painted white with small, black circles around their eyes. They were equal in height, with long hair and dressed in pure, white robes. What irony it was, as the two children were truly anything but moral. But hardly anyone knew that.

The two of them led Papa Nil down the hallway in silence before stopping before an older woman. She was dressed in formal, black attire, and had her grey hair tied back in a ponytail. The old pope grinned upon seeing her.

“Sister,” he said in a gravelly accented voice. “You’re looking very well.”

The corners of Sister Imperator’s mouth turned upwards into a smile as well, although it was much more subtle than Nil’s smirk. To the children, it seemed like she hadn’t seen him in quite some time.

“Hello, Papa,” she replied, voice filled with admiration. 

She opened her mouth to continue talking, but quickly stopped herself upon meeting the eyes of the two children. Her previous scowl quickly returned. “Leave us,” she commanded. The woman’s eyes widened upon seeing that they had not obeyed the instant she had spoken. Her tone became firmer with frustration. “Now.”

Fear seemed to show for a split second on the children’s blank painted faces, but as they turned and ran towards the double doors behind them they began to smile mischievously. Imperator thought she caught the sound of giggling as the two of them exited the room, and after the doors closed she sighed and shook her head. “Forgive me, Papa. I do hope they haven’t been causing you any trouble.”

“Oh, Sister, I can assure you that Jack and Jill have been nothing but helpful since you assigned them to help me.”

Imperator merely nodded her head in response. “I’m very pleased that you say that, but…” Her voice suddenly trailed off, as if she was having second thoughts about what she wanted to tell him. Recently, the woman had been having second thoughts about leaving the elderly pope with the children. Something about the boy and girl had changed since they first arrived at the church, but she couldn’t tell what. All she knew was that it made her feel a little uneasy, but she hid this feeling well from the other church members. She pressed her lips into a fine line and wrung her hands for only a second or two before quietly sighing, deciding to change the subject. “...I just hope you’re not as unwell as they say…”

The dark pope gave a laugh, as if he found what she had said to be ridiculous. “If I were unwell, could I do…” He suddenly snapped the bony fingers of his left hand, causing a saxophone to appear out of thin air. Imperator’s eyes widened with shock upon seeing the instrument. “...this?” The old man took a deep breath and brought the brass instrument to his lips. He only managed to play one single note before abruptly stopping himself when Imperator shook her head and gently placed a hand on his face.

“Please, you don’t need to use your magic to prove such things to me.” She gazed into the elderly pope’s blank eyes, watching as his expression turned solemn. “I just want you to be able to hear what I’m saying.”

Papa Nil sighed quietly and allowed the saxophone to disappear into thin air. “I’m listening,” he said softly.

The smile from earlier reappeared on Imperator’s face, and she slowly lowered her hand and stood up straight.

“Papa.” Her tone was once again filled with pride and admiration. “I would like to congratulate you on the fine work your progeny have been doing.” Tilting her head towards him slightly, she held up a finger as her smile widened. “Especially that of your youngest! You must be so proud of him, winning the most beloved of all awards: the Grammy!” She sighed contently as memories of festivities came rushing back to her. “Oh, I can remember the day he returned and announced the news to all of us. Such celebration for days without end! We really wish you could’ve been there with us at that time.”

Papa Nil lowered his oxygen mask and smiled with her, indeed feeling the same amount of pride, if not more. “Thank you, Sister. I’m-”

“However.” The smile suddenly vanished from Imperator’s face and was quickly replaced by an expression of dismay. “I have to say it’s…” She took a moment to carefully choose her words. “...not enough.”

The elderly pope raised his eyebrows, not understanding what Imperator was saying. “Not enough?” he repeated.

“I just believe that, if your firstborn son had won that same award ten years ago, we would truly have something to celebrate. We would be far beyond where we are now.” The woman sighed. “But unfortunately, we have been forced to deal with quite a few setbacks over this past year.” She paused for a moment, then quickly cleared her throat and stood up straight again. “So, I have decided that we need someone new to fill in the shoes of your youngest. His youth, stamina, and sexual charisma certainly seemed to play a part in our progress.” Her smile suddenly widened and she grinned at him. “Things that you had plenty of, back in your prime.”

Nil’s grin returned as well as she spoke. In the light of the nearby lamp, he no longer saw Imperator as the older woman she was. Her face was younger, her hair was straighter and more well-kept, and her body morphed into one more curvaceous. Her voice turned sultry, and her eyes shone with the wild eagerness he once knew. It brought him back to those many nights they had once shared, and he could tell she was thinking about them too. “Yes…” he whispered, caught up in the little fantasy his mind had conjured up. But he quickly snapped out of his daze at the same time Imperator did.

“No no, not here. Not now.” The woman frantically shook her head and waved her hands in embarrassment. “Not like this.” She cleared her throat as she regained her previous posture, doing her best to not let what had just occurred to affect the current situation further. It was the absolute last thing they needed. “As I was saying, we’re going to require someone new, and we need you to help mold this young protégé into what we need.”

The pope nodded his head, understanding. “I will be sure to teach him everything I know.”

Once more, Imperator smiled. “Excellent! He should be arriving sometime later today. Hopefully that’s not too early for you to start?”

Before Papa Nil could respond, there was a loud knocking at the double doors. Curious, the pope turned. Behind the doors, he could see the silhouette of a cloaked figure standing straight.

Imperator’s face lit up with excitement and joy. “Ah, speak of the devil! Here he is now!”

Having snuck onto the upper level overlooking where Imperator and Nil were standing, Jack and Jill watched with eagerness as the protégé stepped into the room. Their eyes widened with glee, and they soon met each other’s glances.

“I can’t believe it!” Jack whispered. “The new guy’s already here!”

Jill smiled back mischievously as she stood up, giggling softly.

“Oh, he’s going to be so angry when we tell him.”

And without saying another word to each other, the two children disappeared back into the inky shadows. It was time to cause some mischief.


	2. Shadow of a Man

The room which held the prison cell was hidden well, but not well enough in Jack and Jill’s case. They had been able to find it easily, especially since they had been down here many times before. It was nearly pitch black, and the candle only did a little to improve the lighting. The children almost seemed like ghostly apparitions in the dim brightness. It was also eerily quiet, and it reeked of rot and piss. But Jack and Jill fortunately did not mind the smell one bit. Despite the immense excitement they felt, the two of them had to walk slowly so that they did not miss the steps as they descended.

“You think he's dead?” Jack asked, smiling as he kept his voice down.

“No way. I checked on him three days ago and he was just fine.” Being the braver one, Jill walked about two steps ahead of him. “I can't wait to see his face when we tell him about that new protégé.” She turned her head to look at Jack. “You have it?”

Jack grinned mischievously and patted the left pocket of his robe, which had something hidden inside it.

“Good.”

Before long, the two children had arrived at the door of the cell. Grinning, they walked up to the bars and held up the candle so that the light illuminated the area. It was small, with barely enough space to fit the bed. The smell was more acrid here, but was not at its worst. There was a person seated on the floor next to the mattress, his head lolled forward. His black hair was messy and clearly hadn't been washed in weeks. The same went for his black suit, which was slightly tattered.  
Jill walked up and grabbed two of the bars, placing her small head between them. She then began to whisper. “Threeeeee…”

Slowly, Papa Emeritus the Third lifted his head. Nil’s youngest son was now a mere shadow of the man he once was. His body was thin and clearly in need of more sustenance than it was being provided. His mismatched green and white eyes indicated just how little sleep he had been getting. The most noticeable thing about him, however, was that his skeletal face paint was beginning to fade - a sign of his title being stripped away. In time, it would disappear completely, just like it had with his older brother.

“Hey, Three. Guess what?” Jill gripped the prison bars tighter, eagerly waiting to see the Third’s reaction to what she was about to tell him. “Jack and I overheard a conversation between Sister Imperator and your dad just now.”

The dark pope merely blinked and said nothing.

“They were talking about your replacement,” Jack continued, grinning as he emphasized the last word. “And he's already here.”

“Your father is going to train him.” Jill’s smile was now from ear to ear. She pressed her whole body against the cell bars. “Make him better than you ever were. He'll make sure you're nothing but a memory when it's all over.”

The Third’s head lowered slightly. He remained silent for a moment as he stared at the floor before turning to the side, facing away from the children.  
“It was bound to happen eventually…” he murmured, the tone of his voice clearly hinting at defeat.

Huffing in annoyance, Jill stepped away from the bars, disappointed that they hadn't managed to get more of a reaction from him. Wasn’t he furious about getting replaced? Well, she knew what would get him angry. She turned and met Jack's eyes, nodding at him. The young boy smiled back and reached into his pocket, pulling out the object Jill had asked him about earlier.

“Hey, Three.” Jill began snapping her fingers to get the pope's attention. She raised her voice slightly when he didn’t pay attention to her the first time. “Three!”

Tired and irritated by their presence, Papa turned his head and glared at the children. “What?”

Jack held up the object in his hand, making sure to keep it out of the candlelight. “We got you some food.”

Emeritus eyed what Jack was holding with suspicion. He hesitated for a moment before motioning towards himself with an ungloved hand. Grinning, Jack tossed the object, and it landed about a foot or so in front of the Third. Grunting softly as he began to move, the dark pope started to reach for the food, but abruptly stopped himself when he saw the object start to writhe on the floor. To his horror, he realize that it wasn’t food at all - it was a large, black rat with glowing red eyes. The vile creature looked up at him and hissed before lunging at his hand, attempting to strike. Frightened, the Third recoiled and desperately sought refuge on top of the mattress. As he backed away, a green blast of magic involuntarily shot from his fingertips, hitting the rat and sending it flying across the room into the stone wall. He was disappointed when he realized it was still alive after the impact, but breathed a sigh of relief when it scurried off in another direction.

The children, meanwhile, were doubling over in laughter, finding the whole ordeal utterly hilarious. “Oh, Belial, did you see his face?!” Jill exclaimed through fits of giggling.

Jack was close to dropping the candle as he laughed as well. “I told you it would be funny!”

The two of them were so caught up in their hysterics that they failed to notice the anger quickly spreading across the Third’s face. Without warning, he lunged at the bars with the ferocity of a caged lion attempting to escape. Shocked, Jack dropped the candle, causing the flame to go out and the wax to break into little pieces. The three of them remained in the dark for only a split second before Emeritus’ white eye began glowing a bright pale blue.

“When I get out of here, it’s over for you little brats!” he roared, shaking the bars of the cell furiously with white knuckles.

The children’s shrieks became intermixed with their laughs as they scurried away towards the flight of stairs they had gone down earlier. Not looking back, they ascended the stone steps as quickly as they could, eventually arriving in one of the small church libraries. Without any hesitation, they rapidly put the heavy wooden floorboards back into place, muffling Emeritus’ shouting so that the room was silent once again. They then covered up the floorboards with an elegant red and gold rug, smoothing out the wrinkles so that it looked like no one had disturbed it. When they were finally finished, the two children met each other’s eyes and grinned triumphantly before bursting into laughter once again.

“Oh, that was great!” Jack exclaimed, holding his sides. 

“His face was hilarious!” Jill jumped up and down, clapping her hands excitedly. “He almost screamed when the rat tried to get him!”

“You really think he’s gonna eat it?”

“I hope so!”

“It would be so gross!” Jack then stopped laughing, eyes suddenly widening along with his smile. “What if it makes him sick?”

“Then we could mess with him even more!” Smiling, Jill grabbed Jack’s hand, and pretty soon the two children began spinning in a circle. Jill began to speak in a sing-song voice. “Ring around the rosie!”

“A pocketful of posies!” Jack continued.

The two of them then began to speak in unison: “Ashes, ashes, we all fall down!” On the word “down,” they let go of each other’s hands and dropped to the floor. Jill landed on top of the rug, facing no obstruction in her fall, but Jack accidentally bumped into one of the shelves in the middle of his descent, causing multiple books to tumble out and land beside him.

“You dummy!” Irritated by the fact that her friend had just made a mess of the place, Jill hurried over and pulled Jack up to his feet before bending down and picking up some of the books. “Hurry up and help clean! We can’t make it look like anyone’s been here!”

Feeling a sense of urgency, Jack began to pick up the books as well, attempting to put them back into the right places. However, after putting only a few books away, something caught his eye and he suddenly stopped.

Jill immediately took notice and glared at him. “Hey, idiot, we’re not done yet!”

Jack payed her no mind and instead focused on one of the large, open books near his feet. It looked pretty old and the images on the pages were rather intriguing. Carefully, he bent down and picked it up, beginning to read the faded text on the pages.

“Are you seriously going to make me do all the work?” When the boy made no response, Jill sighed in annoyance and proceeded to pick up the rest of the books on the floor. “Boys,” she muttered, shaking her head as she put them all back in their proper places. When she was finally done, she walked over to Jack and folded her arms across her chest, narrowing her eyes at him. “Alright, what’s got you so interested in this dumb old book?”

Smiling, Jack turned slightly and showed Jill what was on the page. The majority of the title at the top was faded, but the one word the two children could make out was “Bathory.” Below the title was a list of required materials, and steps for some sort of process. Next to the blocks of text was a picture depicting a colonial woman standing in front of a mirror with a candle in hand, her face filled with horror as she stared back at her reflection. The person staring back at her was a completely different woman with extremely long, unkempt dark hair who was covered in blood from head to toe. “It’s a ghost summoning ritual,” Jack said. 

Jill’s eyes lit up with awe and elation. “Ghost summoning ritual?” Without warning, she swiped the book out of Jack’s hands. “I’ve always wanted to try one of these. They sound fun!” Filled with excitement, the young girl began to silently read through the faded, bold text:

“It is said that those who stand before a mirror with a candle at midnight and chant the words “Bloody Mary” a certain number of times will be able to summon the ghost of Countess Elizabeth Bathory. It is a simple ritual but comes with consequences if not done correctly and correct protection measures are taken beforehand.

“For this ritual, you require:  
A mirror  
Candles  
A dark room  
A needle* or another sharp object to draw a small amount of blood”

 

“Seems easy enough…” Jill said, nodding her head. She glanced at the picture once more, seemingly intrigued by the blood-covered woman in the mirror. “But why would we need-” She suddenly stopped talking upon noticing the asterisk next to the word “needle,” and her eyes quickly swept down to the bottom of the page, where there was another small block of text:

“*This is for protection purposes. Before you attempt to summon the ghost of Bathory, you must draw blood using the needle or another item of your choice and draw a pentagram somewhere on your body. The same goes for any bodies, living or dead, that are present in the room with you, for any person not bearing the symbol faces the risk of possession.”

Jill’s eyes widened upon reading the word “possession.” Filled with a strong sense of excitement, she turned to face Jack and smiled.

“Jack,” she said, grinning from ear to ear. “I have an idea.”

It was a terrible, awful idea, and both children absolutely loved it.


End file.
